Tiger Woods has promising start at 2020 PGA Championship

Tigers Woods is off to a great start at the year’s first major.

The 2020 PGA Tour schedule was drastically changed due to COVID-19, and the PGA Championship is now the year’s first major. Play got underway Thursday at Harding Park in San Francisco, and some star-studded names finished under par.

Tiger Woods is part of that group as he finished the day 2-under. A day under par is nothing new for Woods throughout his career, but it is a notable achievement considering his path back to greatness over the past decade. His opening round was his best since 2012.

Tiger Woods has a nice start

That was not Woods’ best PGA Championship opening round since 2012. It was his best opening round in a major since then, however.

Golf fans may forget that before his magical 2019 Masters victory, Woods’ last major win came all the way back in 2008. He won the U.S. Open that year, and there appeared to be no limit to how many he would win. Then came his personal issues and then injuries that nearly kept him off the course forever.

Woods may remain a polarizing figure to some fans based on his personal life. However, he also remains an amazing comeback story in the world of sports. He is also getting up there in age at 44 years old and has a small window of time remaining to chase majors.

Seeing Tiger win the Masters in 2019 felt nostalgic. It was his 15th major win and brought back the conversation of Woods chasing Jack Nicklaus’ mark of 18 majors. A solid start Thursday at the PGA has him three shots off the lead on a day when he had five birdies. The three bogeys were the problem.

Woods’ last PGA Championship victory came back in 2007 when the chase for 18 was alive and well. A good start here will put him on track to compete for No. 16 in what may be his most impressive win given the circumstances of COVID-19 and his age.